There's Something About Callie
by hakunamatatahum
Summary: Charming, witty and funny Callie Torres is in the hospital staff's good books. Well, if you made the great Mark Sloan cry, why wouldn't you be, right? What happens when the perky and equally charming Peds surgeon falls for the commitment phobe resident?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

___Charming, witty and funny _Callie Torres is in the hospital staff's good books. Well, if you made the great Mark Sloan cry, why wouldn't you be, right? What happens when the perky and equally charming Peds surgeon falls for the commitment phobe resident?

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, Shonda does :P**

* * *

Mark Sloan, Teddy Altman, Arizona Robbins and Owen Hunt look on with mastered subtlety at the group of residents a few cafeteria tables away from them. To anyone else, the activity they're looking at is rather mundane and irrelevant (which it really is, to be honest) - but it's not the what nor the why of it all.

No, it isn't.

Their attention is on the second-year resident surrounded by her fellow residents. It's easy to pick her out amongst the group, seeing as she sits at the corner, holding court while her colleagues hang on to her every word about God knows what.

"I think she's my soulmate." The words are out of Mark Sloan's mouth the moment Callie Torres receives a rousing laughter from the other residents, causing the three other attendings to choke on their drinks. Slightly offended, the Plastics head glares at his 'friends' before gazing back at the recent object of his affection. The resident's dark brown hair is in loose curls spiraling down her back and around her neck perfectly.

"I'm sorry, Mark, but that is the most ridiculous thing that I've ever heard to have come out of your mouth." Teddy shakes her head in disbelief. "And believe me, there were lots of ridiculous things I've heard from you. But this one tops it all."

"I'm serious! You people would not get off my back; pestering me to grow up and stop sleeping around. Guess what? This is it. I'm ready. She's exactly what I've been looking for all this time. Great mind. Great personality." He trails on dreamily. "Bats for both teams. Great skills on and off the -"

"Oh beat it Sloan." The Peds surgeon huffs indignantly. "You went out on a date two weeks ago. She told you she just wants to stay friends with you. Please tell me you get the message loud and clear because if you don't, then you're more stupid than you look." Arizona lets out through gritted teeth, eyeing the resident from the corner of her eyes.

"I agree. Besides, isn't she with Karev or someone else?" Owen interjects.

"Hey! She's not officially with anyone." He raises his hands in mock surrender. "But fear not, my dear friends. I have already sent my boy to change her mind. You see, her and Avery are good friends. And he has never failed me. So just watch, because in a few minutes, he'll saunter to our table and tell me that she wants another date. Trust me. I'm Mark Sloan." He smirks cockily as the four of them eye the resident once again as Jackson Avery whispers something in her ear. They watch with anticipation as Torres cocks her head to the side, smiling softly at Sloan's protege before muttering something to him. "Okay guys, play it cool. Avery's coming." Sloan clears his throat and adjusts his scrub top, a confident smile on his face.

"Maybe not." Owen raises his brow, almost bouncing in his chair with controlled excitement as the resident in question gets up from her table and casually strides towards theirs. If the things he has heard about Callie Torres are true, then what's about to take place will be freaking epic.

"Dr. Sloan?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we talk?" Callie whispers, eyes darting from one attending to another.

"You can say whatever you want to say, Callie."

"Uh. It's not exactly cafeteria material -."

"The more you should say it now." He smirks. The resident nods awkwardly and before he knows it, Callie is squatting on the floor next to him.

"You know that thing everyone's always talking about?" Callie asks lowly, making sure that other people can't hear her.

"I think I do." The older doctor answers, wiggling his brows. "But humor me. What thing, Callie?"

"That thing that makes everyone feel good inside?" Callie states, oblivious to the surprised reactions of the other attendings in the table.

Callie slowly and impatiently blinks, sucking in a breath before continuing, "That feeling that nothing can go wrong because you're feeling really good and it would be a crime for something on the contrary to happen? You know, that burning feeling at the pit of your stomach because everything just feels right?"

"Huh." Mark Sloan's forehead creases in confusion. "Is this what I think it is? Because I'm not sure -"

"But then something bad _does _happen. And we all know it's going to happen sooner or later," Callie adds. "But we push it far, far back in the recesses of our mind, hoping it doesn't find its way out of the door and ruin our day."

"Torres..." He fidgets in his chair, his breathing starting to get ragged.

"Some people consider this thing a myth. But I'm actually one of those few people who kind of believe in it." Callie rolls her eyes at herself, looking at a winded Mark Sloan. "And if you're a one dimensional thinker, or if you have a one-track mind like Dr. Bailey's old, perverted neighbor, you're probably thinking that I am talking about sex."

The Plastics head crosses his arms over his chest. "Tor-"

"Or," Callie interrupts him, tracing the edge of the table. "If you're like my dear, dear friend Cristina, you're probably thinking that I'm talking about the heart. Like, literally. The organ itself -"

"Torres, please -"

"Which I'm not," she raises her hands with a shrug. "I'm not talking about that." She snorts.

"You're not talking about sex?"

"No. Of course not, Dr. Sloan. I'm talking about something that is close to being extinct." She huffs under her breath, "For some it's just a fantasy, but not to me. So -."

"I'm afraid I'm not following, Torres. And since you're not talking about sex, why don't you enlighten me on what you're _really _trying to say?"

"I'm talking about the friendship between a man and a woman, Dr. Sloan." She breathes out, beaming - only to frown in disappointment when she sees that the older doctor doesn't seem to get what she's talking about. "You don't get it." She pouts.

"I'm afraid I don't -."

"It's cool. When I was younger, I spoke in a language I made up for a week. Nobody understood me. So I'm totally used to that blank stare you're giving me right now. Though I was hoping you'll be smarter than those people seeing as you're an attending and -."

"Was that a no? To the date, I mean?"

"We could hang out. I mean, as friends. I honestly think we could be great friends, Dr. Sloan. Notwithstanding the fact that you're old enough to be my father or -."

"Stop talking. Please stop talking." He cuts off the resident as his colleagues could not stop themselves from laughing at such a heart-wrenching statement.

"Sorry. All I'm saying is, you're awesome. Both in and out of, you know..." Callie allows her eyes to dart towards the other attendings in the table, hoping they did not get her drift. "And I do really enjoy your company. But I do believe, without an iota of doubt, that we'll be even more awesome as friends. We could be bestfriends! Think about it. But more than that? We're a train wreck waiting to happen." She shrugs.

"Get lost, Torres." He orders, jaw clenching.

"Mark, come on." Teddy chastises him gently.

"Are you deaf, Torres? I said get lost." He spats, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"I get it. Again, I'm sorry." And with that, she leaves without so much of a backward glance, leaving the three surgeons in shock, and the other in humiliation.

"I take it you got the message -."

"Shut up Robbins -."

"Are you crying, Sloan?" Teddy asks, wide-eyed.

"I - I'm n-not!" The head of plastics unceremoniously stands up from his seat, fists clenched. Before any of his friends could further comment, he storms out of the cafeteria leaving Arizona, Teddy and Owen completely speechless.

"Did he just -."

"Was he..."

"Yes. To both of your questions." Owen nods, himself weirded out at what he just witnessed. "Wow."

* * *

**All mistakes are mine.**

**I don't know how long (or short) this story will be. I'm looking at 10 chapters at most. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy**

* * *

"Hey. Is the ER still like a zoo?" Arizona asks Mark who enters the gallery with a pack of chips on his hand.

"Nah." He shakes his head, glances down the OR before sitting next to the Peds surgeon who by now is talking to Miranda and Teddy beside her. "Is that Torres? They're operating on the woman trapped in the sinkhole?" He narrows his eyes at the resident standing beside Cristina, looking deep in concentration. Arizona follows her friend's gaze and nods.

"Yeah. So who do you think the Gunther is?"

"What do you mean?" He mumbles, not keeping his eyes off the resident.

"Bailey has been given the go ahead by the Chief to do a Gunther. It's sort of a team building exercise that most hospitals do when the people aren't working well together. It's named after a doctor, not the patient. One of the residents always kind of emerge as the leader when they do this. The first time, there was this little, quiet guy named Gunther and it turned out he was the underdog."

"Great. You know it won't be Torres. Sure she may have good hands. Beautiful hands in fact. But she'll probably bail at the first sight of difficulty." He spats, sounding bitter.

"Oh Mark, get over it. Just because she turned you down doesn't mean you get a free pass at insulting her abilities as a resident." Teddy chastises him.

"Wait. You're tailing Torres, Sloan?" Miranda asks in disbelief.

"Rather unsuccessfully." Teddy teases.

"It doesn't matter. Look, she doesn't have balls. She's not the Gunther." Mark crosses his arms to his chest, miffed at the ribbing.

"Karev's got the balls, but everyone hates him." Arizona offers, taking another handful of chips from Mark.

"Yang's the Gunther. I mean, look at her." He motions to the OR where the residents are currently bickering over what to do next. Cristina can be heard speaking over everyone else.

"Hmm. I don't know. Kepner's kinda of the dark horse these days." Arizona hangs her head to the side, deep in thought. When she's sure that no one's looking at her, she chances a glance at the third-year resident, silently rooting for _her._

"I'd go with Avery. He seems to be the underdog." Teddy pipes in. "I love underdogs."

"Torres." Miranda interjects, eyes focused on the resident, but Mark's snickers didn't go unnoticed by her. "What? Why are you laughing? Just because you can't deal with your grown up feelings doesn't mean I agree with you, Sloan."

"Oh nothing. You feel good about that position? Huh, Bailey? You willing to back that up?" He challenges.

"What? Like, a hundred bucks?" Bailey huffs.

"Bring it!" Arizona starts collecting the money from the three other surgeons in time for a commotion at the OR to break out. The residents start yelling at each other again, mumbling about what should be done next before Cristina Yang springs into action and starts opening the patient up while the rest of the residents scramble to move in sync with her.

"Looks like Yang is the Gunther." Mark smirks knowingly, causing his colleagues to groan in frustration.

"Why am I not surprised?" Teddy mumbles under her breath.

"Hey. It's ain't over until the fat lady sings. No one's getting any money until the surgery's - ." Miranda didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as another round of ruckus breaks in the OR. They got out of their seats to see Karev drop to the floor, with Yang quickly ripping his top off.

"Oh God, what's happening?!"

/

* * *

Arizona finds herself at Joe's later that day, completely speechless as she sits right at the bar with Teddy, nursing her fourth tequila of the night.

"Seriously. I put my money on Avery?" Teddy chuckles at the thought of the not so sound decision she made earlier.

"Are you kidding me, Theodora? I bet on Kepner." Arizona laughs disbelievingly. "Kepner! I mean what the hell was I thinking?!" Just in time, Joe, the owner of the pub, walks in front of the blonde surgeons, motioning for their now empty shot glasses. Receiving a nod, Joe pours the women four shots of tequila. They down their glasses before asking for another refill.

"I guess I get why Mark's infatuated now. She's a freaking rockstar. A bombshell with a scalpel." Teddy turns to catch a glimpse of the third-year resident who caused her to walk away from work a hundred bucks poorer. "She's going to be in Cardio."

"I don't think so, Teds. She's charming enough to be in Peds."

"I don't know Arizona. She's badass. Hardcore." Arizona snaps her head rather too quickly towards her bestfriend that Teddy's a little worried about that neck.

"Are you telling me that Peds is not hardcore?" Her voice is dangerously low and despite the alcohol in her system, Teddy can't help but feel that fear creep into her being.

"Did I say that? I -."

"Not directly."

"Arizona -."

"You know what? Don't let the roller skates fool you, Teddy. Peds is nothing but hardcore!" with a huff, Arizona downs her glass yet again before storming towards the bathroom.

/

Arizona is welcomed by the sight of a tipsy Callie Torres washing her hands on the bathroom sink.

"You did well back there." She blurts out.

"Thanks, Dr. Robbins." The resident nods politely as she grabs some tissues, not bothering to turn around to face the surgeon.

"No, really, it was impressive. I know we haven't really talked much, or at all, in the hospital but yeah! I just want you to know that you were amazing out there."

"Thank you." Another curt nod. "Though I was kind of expecting that you'll be a tad bit peeved, seeing as you lost what, a hundred bucks?" The resident smirks knowingly.

"H-How -."

"I saw Dr. Altman hand the money to Dr. Bailey. Not surprising of course. You and Dr. Altman are a part of Dr. Sloan's pussy posse, so it's but normal that you bet against me." The resident shrugs nonchalantly.

"I wasn't -."

"It's cool, Dr. Robbins. No harm, no foul." The taller woman grins at the surgeon through the mirror. "It was great talking to you, Dr. Robbins." With one final nod, Callie Torres walks past Arizona, then out of the bathroom door.

/

* * *

"Don't look now, but Sloan just got here. He's sitting at the bar with Dr. Altman." Jackson whispers in his friend's ear as he caught the group from the bar throw not-so-subtle glances at their table. "And Dr. Robbins."

"I know. And right now, I don't really give a damn."

"He's just butt hurt, Cal. He'll get over it. They'll get over it."

"I get it. They're a team. And it's kinda cute how they support one another, how they got each other's back. But I'm really not happy with being on the receiving end of their 'torture'. They wouldn't let me scrub in any of their cases. I mean, I could understand Sloan not wanting to - but Robbins and Altman?" She lets out a bitter laugh. "And I thought they were the cool ones."

"It's going to get better, Cal. It'll pass."

"I hope it passes fast. They let me hold on to that freaking bridal gown for hours, Jacks! They decided to gang up on me and have me as the 'proxy' in that dress fight. If Bailey wasn't there, I'd be holding on to that dress for the whole duration of my shift." Jackson winces at his friend's outburst, empathizing with her. He's been a personal witness to these 'bullying' tactics by Sloan and his 'pussy posse', as Callie calls them - and it hasn't been pretty.

"What's wrong with Mark Sloan?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean, aside from the fact that he's_ the_ golden boy of the hospital, he seems really nice. And he likes you. Like, really, really likes you. I thought you liked him back?"

Callie sighs, not sure how to answer Avery's question. It's not that she is a commitment phobe or anything. It's just that... everyone seems to like her in bed a whole lot but once they get her out of there…well... let's just say things don't usually stick. So it's kind of surprising when the hospital's resident manwhore, also known as Dr. Mark Sloan just kind of keeps texting and calling her, keeps showing up in places she's at, keeps smiling at her over the cafeteria table or keeps sending out his 'posse' to convince her to say yes to another date.

She thinks maybe it's just that Sloan really, _really_ liked the sex. And she was fine with that. But then the man started talking and saying things like _you're funny_ or _I like talking to you_ or _you should smile more_ and Callie gets all kinds of confused. Especially after she made it clear a number of times that she's not interested in anything other than the casual hookups. Sure, Mark Sloan is one fine man but there's nothing there. And if she's being honest, she's not really looking forward to getting into another hospital relationship drama because the last time it happened, she was a hot mess.

So yeah, maybe she's a tiny bit of a commitment phobe. Or whatever. She just got her mojo back after months of sleepless and tearful nights and she's not planning on jumping back to that time. She's young, a kick ass resident and she's having fun. Things are great just the way they are and she not about to change a thing.

"I'm not really looking for anything serious, Jackson. I want to focus on my residency. And technically, he's my superior. And you know my new rule, right? No more superiors."

"So you'd rather sleep around with interns and nurses?"

"And residents."

"You're so much better than that, Cal." He tips his glass, gives her a wink before downing his drink. "Trust me."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy - Shonda does!

* * *

"And when it was done, she - _ahh!_" Jackson winces in pain when his side hit the end of the station as Callie pushes him without warning. "What the hell?!" He furrows his brows in confusion when his friend seems to use his body as a shield for God-knows-what.

"Shut up. Just stand still." Callie whispers, cowering in front of him.

"Is it Sloan? Come on, Torres -."

"No!" He follows Callie's gaze and is further confused when he sees that Callie's hiding from one of the new interns.

"No. No, no, no. You did not..." He shakes his head, eyes wide in disbelief at the thought that is running through his mind right now. "Please tell me you did not sleep with that woman?"

"What is she doing here?" Callie mumbles to herself, her hold on the lapels of Jackson's top finally easing up as the woman who caught her attention disappears in sight.

"Are you for real, Torres? The new intern? They got here like, a few _hours _ago!"

"No - it's not like that, Avery. It's a long story."

"Well if you're going to pull that kind of stunt again, I need to know _the _story."

"That's Sadie Harris." Callie whispers as she wraps her hands on Jackson's arm, dragging him towards their 'safe haven' a.k.a. the fire escape. "We went to the same college. She's a legit nutcase." She starts as they make their way to their usual hideout. As soon as the coast is clear, Callie lets Jackson in on how she knew of the _'creepy'_ blonde.

Callie knows, acknowledges even, that she has a reputation. That reputation started in college, when she decided to 'experiment'. She has always enjoyed sex with men, but couldn't deny the fact that she also enjoys looking at the female form. So when the situation presented itself, she dove in. The experiment allowed her to form a hypothesis and test it. After analysis, she arrived at a conclusion. She loves sex with both men and women.

So anyway, back to Sadie. Let's just say that she has been a part of the process. Sadie was fun and pretty and smart and _well _- willing. She was also a member of the university chorale, which appealed to Callie a lot because she just loves music. The fact that Callie was curious as to _how _Sadie will use that killer, raspy singing voice in the sheets added to the element of excitement.

To her disappointment, Sadie wasn't the loud, screaming type that Callie had expected (not that she has a thing for loud partners. She was just genuinely curious) - getting angry at Callie when she so much as whimpered, because it _ruins her concentration_. That incident didn't happen again; so imagine Callie's surprise when she found herself _accidentally 'cheating'_ on that one night stand after she failed to realize that Sadie thought that their late night bang meant they were exclusive. Sadie was so upset by Callie's _infidelity _(Callie slept with Julia, the captain of the women's soccer team, a week after; and for some reason, Sadie learned about it) that she gathered together the university's chorale and serenaded Callie with a wonderfully emotional mashup of Taylor Swift's _I Knew You Were Trouble _and Britney Spears' _Womanizer. _If Callie's being honest, she loved what they did to the two songs. The melody was perfect and their voices were just heavenly. If only it wasn't directed to her and they didn't sing it everywhere she went.

Sadly, they did. Everywhere. Like, literally, everywhere she went.

She attended a party and they were there.

She was eating and the group burst into their perfectly executed performance in the middle of the cafeteria.

The most humiliating of them all was at the fifth stall of the Biology Department's bathroom while Callie was concentrating on peeing. It wasn't until the chorale got suspended for class disturbance that the torture stopped, but by then, the damage has been done and to this day, even the whisper of those songs sends shivers down Callie's spine.

"It will really be appreciated if you stop laughing, Avery!" Callie spats at her colleague, who by now is on the ground, clutching his stomach as he guffaws in laughter. "Avery!"

"I - I'm s-sorry...t-that was just e-epic! Shit Torres!"

"And it didn't even make sense, at least the 'Womanizer' song. I mean, I didn't sleep with just women!"

"Well, maybe it's because you slept with another woman after her. But still. Crazy."

"She is. Cray cray. I can't believe I'll see her again. Here. In my workplace."

"Well Cal, it's a big hospital." Jackson pats Callie's shoulder, not bothering to hide the smirk off his face.

"Yeah." Silence envelops the two residents, with it only broken by the sound of their laughter seconds later.

* * *

**The next day**

"Jake Fisher, 15, he came here for Xrays for his cancer ridden right leg." Karev whispers towards Callie as she arrives in the room where Alex Karev is waiting for the boy's scans to appear.

"Uh. I still don't get why Dr. Garrity's not around. He's the Ortho Attending -."

"Well _you _chose Ortho and Dr. Garrity personally asked that you work on this case with us." He interrupted impatiently. "That makes Sloan, Robbins and Altman hate you even more, by the way." He smirked.

"Whatever." She walks towards the vacant chair, attention now focused on the screen in front of her. "Oh Karev."

"What?" Alex looks on, mumbling some words to himself as he analyzes the scan. "Oh."

"I hate this job sometimes."

* * *

"You're totally cutting my leg, aren't you?" Jake looks at Alex and Callie before darting his eyes on Arizona. His voice is even, but you can notice that he's heartbroken despite the strong facade.

"Jake, listen, the prosthetic is going to be really effective. It's the best option." Alex explains, albeit passively.

"You don't get it. I am a dancer. My legs? They're my life." His voice finally breaks. "Mom? Can you show them a clip?" Mrs. Fisher nods tearfully as she rummages through her bag, bringing out her phone.

"Swan Lake honey?" She asks, fiddling with the device. After receiving an affirmative nod, the heartbroken mother shows the doctors the video clip. "That's him." She proudly points at her son and the doctors watch with heavy hearts. Damn, the boy is talented. As soon as the video's finished, Jake looks up at the speechless surgeons.

"Can the prosthetic do that? That's it. Right there. Build me a leg that will help me do that." He looks directly in Callie's eyes, challenging yet pleading at the same time.

/

"I think there's something we can do, Dr. Robbins. But I would need Dr. Garrity's opinion on it first -."

"Can't you tell us what is it, Dr. Torres? I think I can give you my opinion even if it's not really my turf. You're under my service. Jake's my patient and I will decide if it's feasible or not." Arizona couldn't help but snap at the resident. Callie Torres had been nothing short of a snob when it comes to her. At first, she thought it had something to do with Mark and how they sort of played little tricks on her. And sure, yeah, that was a little childish and immature of them but they've stopped a while ago and even made sure to make it up to the resident (sort of) by asking her to scrub in during their surgeries. To their surprise, Torres never showed interest to join them. Instead, the rest of the attendings watched as Dr. Garrity took her under his wings since Torres made an offhanded remark during a casual conversation with the Chief that she finds Ortho the most appealing. From then on, Callie Torres walks the hallways of the hospital with that invisible_ 'Dr. Garrity's'_ sign tattooed on her forehead.

Arizona wouldn't admit it, but she has been really annoyed at how well the two work together. Everybody in the hospital seems to be in awe at how they're like the one-two punch of the Ortho department - slowly putting Seattle Grace in the map when it comes to Orthopedics. Athletes flock to the hospital, requesting that Dr. Callie Torres treat them after news spread in the area about how she operated successfully on a club foot patient when Dr. Garrity was on leave (with the Chief himself supervising proudly).

"I didn't mean to sound as if you can't give your opinion, Dr. Robbins, I'm sorry. It's just that, Dr. Garrity and I have this work pattern that -."

"But he's not here. And he has explicitly told me that I can work _with _you without his intervention. So I'll tell you how it works with me. You're going to tell me about this idea of yours, then _I _will decide if we'll go through with it or not."

Callie sets her jaw, her eyes darkening for a split second, before a sweet smile graces her face, catching Arizona by surprise. "Of course, Dr. Robbins." She nods at Alex and Arizona before continuing. "We can use a bone from a cadaver to replace the cancerous bone. We will take his bone out, treat it with doses of radiation, then put it back in his leg."

"How about the risk of the cancer returning?" Arizona asks, her attention piqued by the exciting suggestion.

"There's always that risk. But we will monitor it."

"I still think that amputation is the best course of action." Alex states firmly.

"Yes, but if the bone surgery is successful, Jake could keep his leg." Callie counters.

"And if it isn't?" Alex raises a challenging brow.

"If it's your arm, Karev, and you can't operate anymore, what would you do?" Callie retorts, silencing the two other doctors.

"Fine -."

"No, really, Karev. I want to hear it. What would you do?"

"I'll do everything to keep my arm."

"Me too, Alex." Callie offers him an understanding smile before looking back at Arizona. "Dr. Robbins?"

"I think it could work. Let's talk about how we will have to go through the procedure then I'll discuss this with the Jake and his parents."

* * *

With a smile on her face, Arizona walks out of Jake's room into the nurse's station with the hopes of catching Callie and give her the exciting news. As she rounds up the corner, she spots the resident and Karev talking to a flushed nurse that Arizona can remember as Tanya. Shaking her head, she heads for her 'team' (at least for Jake's case). She's a few meters away from the two when she sees Callie drop to her haunches, below the line of sight of the high nurse's station counter. Mortified at what she just witnessed, Arizona looks around to find out the possible cause of such a behavior. The only thing she sees are Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang and the new intern, Sadie Harris - about to pass by the station.

It takes a few seconds for her mind to connect the dots and when she does, she can't help but sigh in disappointment.

Of course.

Of freaking course.

She takes another look at the trio, trying to guess who Torres slept with. Grey? Nah. She's straight and screws men like a whore on tequila. Yang? Same thing. And she just doesn't see Torres and Yang doing the - shit no. Erase that thought.

So Harris?

Ugh.

With an eye roll, she stalks towards the station, not even bothering to hide her annoyance.

"Really Torres? Real mature." She sneers at the woman who's picking herself up from the ground as Karev watches on, clearly amused.

"Dude. Interns got here like, what? Yesterday?" Alex shakes his head in disbelief. "I know you work fast, but damn."

"It was a long time ago, okay?" Callie looks pissed as she fixes her scrubs. "Like ages ago."

"Then why the hell are you cowering underneath the desk? I never pegged you for that type." Alex crosses his arms on his chest, a smirk forming on his lips.

"You'll understand when the time comes for you to be subjected to her special brand of crazy." Callie mumbles, not ready to tell them anything more. "You need anything, Dr. Robbins?" She politely asks, itching to get away from her spot. Since that incident in college, Callie had developed a weird kind of sixth sense when it comes to Sadie. And her sense is telling her that right now, she has to leave.

"Actually, I need to talk to you about the procedure. Would you mind going to the lounge?"

"Sure."

"Awesome." Arizona beams before instructing Karev to check up on one of their patients.

/

Callie and Arizona stride down the corridor without a word - Callie's eyes buried in the chart she's reading, while Arizona's fiddling with her phone. As they take another step, Arizona watches in confusion as Callie stops abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Arizona questions.

Callie's sixth sense is tingling. Her radar is currently alerting her of a hostile presence. She looks up in time to see the familiar blue glare that haunted her many years ago, directed squarely at her.

"Oh... shit." Callie closes her eyes and prayed that Sadie has grown out of that phase in her life.

"Calliope Iphegenia Torres." There was a pause as Sadie's eyes studies the resident. "Calliope Torres... don't even think of skipping off. Again."

"Hey..." Callie rolls her eyes at how lame that sounded. Beside her, Arizona blinks, a bit distracted but amused at what's about to go down. She watches as the other blonde crosses her arms on her chest, eyes narrowing at the resident.

"Of all the gin joints in the world..." The intern let out through gritted breath. "She cheated on me in college." Sadie blurted out, earning a loud gasp from Callie.

"I did not!"

"Yup. Sure did!"

"We were never together. We were almost complete strangers!"

"You were a fan."

"A fan?!" Callie asks in utter mortification. "I wasn't a fan of your little chorale. I was a stranger."

"Fans are not strangers, Callie Torres. They're friends with less money and no talent. Like you did."

"I can't wait until you do something that will excuse me for checking you into a mental health facility," the resident said wistfully.

"Bitch."

"Lunatic."

"Slut."

"B Chorale member." Callie knows how to push all the right buttons, and she always does it flawlessly.

"Okay, that's enough!" Arizona comes in between them before things escalate into a full-blown bitch fest. "This is a hospital. You do not get to make a scene. So, will you please walk away?" She addresses Sadie who just continues to glare at Callie. "Walk away!" Arizona orders louder, causing both the intern and the resident to wince and heed the surgeon. As soon as Sadie's out of sight, Arizona turns her attention to Callie.

"Really?"

"It was a one-night stand. How could I cheat?"

"I just hope it doesn't get ugly, Dr. Torres. It will really piss me off if your little bout with Harris interferes with any work that we're about to do."

"It won't, Dr. Robbins. I know how to separate my personal life from my work life."

"What happened earlier wasn't showing that."

"I'm sorry."

"Just don't engage. Now, how about we discuss that procedure?"

/

The discussion lasted for about half an hour, with Callie injecting some of Dr. Garrity's opinions about the procedure. As soon as they were done, Callie leaves the lounge, intent on meeting Jackson and Cristina at Canlis for dinner. As she walks towards the locker room to change, the hairs at the back of her neck rise, and that same feeling of dread feels her senses.

Just as she nears her destination, Britney Spears' _Womanizer _blasts through the hospital's sound system.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's - Shonda does!**

* * *

Arizona watches from the entrance of the small chapel as Callie continues doing whatever it is that she seems to be doing for the past week or so.

She thought it was another one of those silly gossips circulating around the hospital again. But then, she started seeing less and less of the said resident and finally, her curiosity got the best of her and she joined Teddy in checking out what the fuzz is all about.

"What is she doing?" Teddy whispers towards her bestfriend.

"Uh. Praying?" Arizona narrows her eyes at the the resident who's currently down on her knees, hands clasped together, her forehead resting on

"So it's true, huh? No more on call rooms for her during breaks?" Teddy smirks at Arizona, taunting her.

"What?"

"What what?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh I don't know." Teddy smiles sheepishly. "You tell me."

"I don't understand what you're saying, Teddy."

"I didn't understand it at first either. But looking back, it has always been quite obvious." The cardiologist beams sheepishly at her bestfriend. "You like our badass resident." She teases.

"Keep your voice down, Teddy!" Arizona says through gritted teeth.

"Ohhhh!" Teddy chuckles, intent on teasing the Peds surgeon even more. "I knew it! You would snap at Mark whenever he talks about Torres. I freaking knew it! And I caught you looking at her a lot. Lke, a _lot. _How could I be so clueless?" Arizona looks around, sighing in relief when she realizes that the coast is clear.

"Teddy."

"But you went along with all of his little acts of revenge. Why's that?" Now, Teddy's just genuinely confused.

"Because." Arizona breathes out, stomping her foot in frustration as she drags Teddy away from the chapel.

"Because?" Teddy pushes, intent on squeezing some answers from Arizona.

"Because those were the only times that I could get some sort of a reaction from her, okay? Outside those little things we've pulled, it's like, for her, I don't exist."

"Really?" Teddy's eyes are wide in surprise.

"What do you mean 'really'?"

"You are Arizona freaking Robbins. You're one of the best goddamn surgeons in the world. You're confident, you're hot, you're a genius and everybody loves you."

"Except her."

Teddy rolls her eyes, not sure why she hasn't seen this thing coming. "You've probably slept with more girls than she has. I don't know how you could possibly be this unsure."

"That doesn't mean anything, Teddy. It's like she's immune to my charm. And it's not like I've met her recently. It's been what? Two years? She's a resident now and she has said about ten words to me about non-work related stuff."

"Look, I've heard from Cristina that she's turning over a new leaf. I don't exactly know what that means, but I know for sure that it's something good."

"Sure." Arizona huffs. Whatever.

"So, how's your new secretary, Miss Head of Pediatric Surgery? I heard she's a character." Teddy teases again. Arizona just couldn't catch a break.

"I think the Chief was on drugs when he hired her. If Harris and Yang had a lovechild, it's her."

"It's only her first week, Arizona. She'll improve." Teddy gives her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Exactly. It's only her first week and all blood is drained from my body already. And you? You get a really competent secretary. What did I ever do to deserve this?"

"Everything's going to be okay, Arizona."

"A month. I'm giving her a month and if nothing changes, I'm putting my foot down and have the Chief relieve her. She is -" Arizona's phone cuts her off. "Speaking of." She rolls her eyes. "Hello Hayley."

_"What's up?"_

"What's up? What do you mean, 'what's up'? You called me?"

_"Someone named Richard Webber called."_

"He's not important. He's only the Chief."

_"Okay."_

"It's not okay, Haley! He's in New York for a conference. He won't call if it's not urgent. What did he say?"

_"Something about a file or whatever."_ Arizona closes her eyes and starts counting, trying to calm herself down.

"Can you please go to Chief Webber's office and hand Marie, his secretary, that green folder from my desk? Can you do that now, Hayley?"

_"You go girl."_ And with that, Haley hangs up.

**/**

* * *

"This isn't working, Avery. I'm going crazy here."

"You're doing great, Torres. It's been weeks, and you haven't slept with anyone. This whole celibacy thing is going really well for you."

"This is so hard. I walk around without making eye contact with everybody, except the patients. It's ridiculous. That visiting Cardio fellow?"

"James Todd?"

"Yeah. He asked me out."

"And? You said no, right?"

"Of course, I did!" Callie rolls her eyes at her bestfriend's incessant questioning. "Did I mention that he has a really cute butt? And those eyes -."

"Hey, hey! Torres. Focus!"

"He was hot, Avery. I can't believe I -."

"No! No. The hot ones are the ones that cause trouble. Remember that? The ones that distract you from realizing your true potential. You need to focus on the medicine, Torres. You're the best. You need to focus. You can't let our three-day stint at that center go to waste."

"Okay..."

"Take all that pent-up sexual energy you waste thinking about hot, available people and put it back into your genius - your godliness."

"That woman from Onco though?"

"Yeah. Hot."

"She gave me this." Callie rummages through her pocket and produces a crumpled paper which Jackson instantly grabs.

"_I want you so much it's painful. Call me. Lea" _He reads. "Please tell me you responded with your new mantra?"

"I did. I texted her with our '_I feel your pain. I know your pain. But I won't be responsible for your pain' _thing."

"Good. Good! See? It's not that hard if you put your mind into it."

"You're right, I think that retreat was very helpful." Callie nods, thinking back at the three-day silent retreat that Jackson dragged her into after Sadie's latest action that caused her to rethink and reevaluate her life.

**_-Flashback, over two weeks ago-_**

_Since the whole 'Womanizer' song thingy that happened a few days ago, Sadie had been pretty quiet. Callie hasn't been subjected to her crazy, save for a couple of times when the said intern would throw in some jabs directed at her out of nowhere. But over all, things have been fine - better than she has expected since learning of Sadie's presence in the hospital._

_But if there's one thing that has always plagued Callie, it's the fact that she's been really awful when it comes to being prepared. She has always been carefree and easy going - living for the moment and not putting much stock into the future. Planning? Nah-uh, not her thing. Unless it has something to do with Ortho. _

_'Calm before the storm'? Huh. Foreign to her. So yeah, she was taken by surprise._

_It was a beautiful Wednesday morning and everything was going great for Callie. The surgery she scrubbed in with Dr. Altman was a success, and she's been getting a lot of invitations from different attendings to scrub in with them. They all knew of course that her heart is in Ortho. But since Bailey decides where they go for the week, Callie had no choice but to just go with whoever she was assigned to. So anyway, things were going really well until a tall blonde named Maddie barged into the hospital and changed the course of her life._

_She was reading a chart at the nurse's station when Maddie - a drug rep - asked her politely if she knew the way to the Chief's office. Callie, being the social butterfly that she was, happily volunteered to accompany her to the Chief's office instead. On their way, they passed by an on-call room - one thing led to another and the next thing they knew, they were coming off the high of a particularly enthusiastic sex. But of course, something - or rather, someone, had to barge in and spoil what could have been Maddie's two-time thing with a woman. It would have been okay, hell, Callie's no stranger to having someone walk into her _during. _But this time, it's Sadie. It's Sadie and she was looking at Callie like she wanted to kill her. _

_"Sis?" Maddie's voice cut Sadie's and Callie's staring contest._

_"W-What?" Callie's eyes bulged, the implication of that three letter-word slowly dawned on her and she knew right then and there that she was screwed._

_"You slept with _my sister, _Callie Torres?!" Sadie growled before delivering a hard slap on the resident's face. She chanced a look at Maddie, huffed, then stormed out of the room, the drug rep scurrying to get dressed._

_"You're her -."_

_"Torres? You're the one who cheated on my sister in college?!" Maddie asked through gritted teeth._

_"I didn't -." Another slap made its way to her cheek, followed by the sound of the door being slammed. _

_Sadly, the pain on her cheeks wasn't the only kind of pain that she would be feeling that day. _

_At the end of her shift, she walked into the parking lot to see her prized T-bird - her beloved car that was given to her by her abuelo as a gift - all egged and almost totaled. She couldn't remember feeling that devastated, not even when she was dumped by her ex who she truly loved._

_As Jackson drove her to her apartment, the only thing that was going through her mind was the look of utter heartbreak in Sadie's eyes. Girl sure was crazy, but that look haunted Callie that night. She knew she had to do something drastic to change her current lifestyle. Sure, she's young and she has all the right to screw whoever she wanted; but she has hurt people along the way. In fact, most of the bad things that happened to her can be traced back to her bed hopping attitude. Yet she knows that she may be a bit selfish and she gets around, but she's not a monster. __Jackson didn't talk any sense to her that night. He only smiled and gave her a look devoid of any kind of judgment and Callie couldn't be more grateful for him._

_Callie knew that she had to do something. Therapy? Nah. She's a sexual person, but she wouldn't classify herself as a sex addict. But she acknowledged that if she doesn't start cleaning up, she can wake up one day and be one. So she entertained the idea of talking to the hospital's psychologist. She later shot down the thought because she wasn't comfortable with talking about and be psychoanalyzed through her sex life._

_It was Jackson who suggested that she went to a silent retreat. She relented after Jackson volunteered to come with her. Together, they filed for a three-day leave and drove to Cloud Mountain - two and a half hours south of Seattle near Castle Rock. _

_**-End of Flashback-**_

"But I'm still standing on shaky grounds, Avery. I still feel really weak even after the retreat."

"That's normal, Cal. You're doing good."

"I need you to help me come up with a strategy. I can feel hot little eyes tracking my every move."

"Okay." Jackson wraps his arm around Callie's shoulders, walking her towards one of the available conference rooms. "First, as much as possible, stick with Cristina. She's focused and doesn't do feelings."

"That's nice. We're already good friends anyway."

"Second, no subtle glances over the shoulder."

"I can do that."

"Third, whenever you're free, go to the chapel and pray and stay away from on-call rooms and supply closets."

"That's working really well for me right now." Callie beams.

"I know. Fourth, no _'This is interesting, come and have a see'._"

"Yeah. That line definitely led to a lot of things." Callie nods in agreement.

"And lastly, hang out with either Sloan, or Altman or Robbins."

"Wait - what? Why? Why them? We hate each other."

"Exactly. That means you don't have to worry about any of them liking you that way. They're also really awesome at their jobs, so you'll surely learn a lot from them. Remember, you need to focus on the medicine. And since you don't really like them, at least deep down inside of you, you can't think about wanting to sleep with them."

"Yeah?"

"Wait, do you?"

"Nah. Sloan's hot and all but he freaking cried during." She rolled her eyes. "I'm down with being his friend, but he doesn't want anything to do with me. Frankly, his whining and attitude is such a turn off."

"Altman?"

"She's okay, I guess."

"Okay? What do you mean _okay__?" _Jackson asks, alarmed.

"You're really being thorough, aren't you?"

"I just want to help. Now what do you mean by 'she's okay?"

"She's nice and pretty, but not really my type."

Jackson's brow shoots up at Callie's words. "Really? She's blonde."

"I can't explain it. I'm just shooting blanks when it comes to her." Jackson's face contorts at the statement. "Emotionally! God, that came out wrong. You know..." Callie drums her fingers on the table, trying to articulate her thoughts better. "You know that person that's nice and all but you just don't feel anything for them at all? Like, not even if they talk to you naked or something?"

"I don't."

"Well, I don't care. That's the only thing I could think of."

"Fine. How about Robbins?"

"Robbins? Are you kidding?" Callie chuckles in disbelief. "I mean, sure, she's hot and charming. But she's perky and her scrub cap? It has butterflies. Butterflies, Avery. It's enough to shrink my lady boner when I look at it from a mile away. And don't get me started on the Heely's." Callie winces at the thought of the adult surgeon rolling around the hospital in those shoes. "And she's also a control freak. The typical Type A persona. Not really my thing." _At least not anymore._

"Torres, Robbins gets around. I'm sure you've heard the rumors. I think you should stick with Altman."

"Of course, I've heard the rumors. Straight from the horse's mouth. Or mouths." Callie smirks. "If you know what I mean."

"Gross. Altman then?"

"Robbins is fine. We've worked on a case before and she's good."

"Are you sure? Because she's hot, Torres."

"Are you saying I can't control myself around her, Avery?" She leans forward, challenging her colleague.

"I'm saying she's dangerous. You're making quite a progress already and I don't know...you might 'relapse'?"

"You think? But how about the fact that she's hot and she could somewhat be my gauge? I mean, I'm trying so hard, but what happens when a hot man or woman comes? You get me? Like, if I can get past her, then I'll be fine, right?"

"Hmm."

"Okay. How about we make this all the more interesting and challenging for me?"

"How?"

"I succumb, you get my Harley."

"Really? What if you don't?" Jackson's eyes are now wide in disbelief. He _loved _that bike.

"Then I turn my life around and I get your Audi R8."

"Deal."

"Man, really?"

"Deal. I want to help you. You know it's not about money or cars for me. I want to help my bestfriend. We have a deal, Torres."

* * *

**At the department head's office**

Arizona hits a button on her laptop and goes to check her emails. Her assistant comes into her office. She looks up and watches her plop down on the couch.

"What's up?" She says to Arizona. _What's up? _Like Arizona is the assistant and has just plopped down into _her _office. She's never sure how to respond to this greeting.

"How are you?" She asks. Briskly. Reminding Hayley that this is an office. And Arizona is her boss.

The assistant picks on her nails. "I've got a urinary tract infection. I'm wondering if I could take the rest of the day off."

"No. I have a meeting in a while and I need you here to cover the office and gather some of the reports for my presentation tomorrow."

"But it hurts." Hayley whines.

"Buy some juice and take a million milligrams of Vitamin C."

Hayley just sits there.

"Is that it?"

"Is what it?" Arizona frowns.

"What you just said."

"About what?"

"About, you know."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I."

"About what, Hayley?" Arizona snaps in frustration.

"Whatever." Hayley says before she stands up and goes back to her seat. She was out for all but five seconds when she comes back, head peeking at the door. "By the way boss, that hot resident came by a few minutes ago. She asked if she could talk to you about some research she's doing about one of your patient's arm thing or something."

"Who?"

"Torres."

"I was here all afternoon, Hayley." Arizona starts massaging her head in frustration.

"I thought you were out. Sorry. Anyway, don't you think I would overdose with that million milligrams of Vitamin C you suggested I take? 'Cause I don't want to die anytime soon. I -"

"Leave. Please leave and talk to someone else."

"Geez. Someone rode you hard and left you wet."

/

* * *

**I promise. Next chapter will have lots of Calzona interaction.**


End file.
